Red Phalarope at the Gridley Wastewater Treatment Ponds

After the Say's Phoebe and Pomarine Jaeger Carrie and I found, this is probably my third best find--a Red Phalarope. I believe it was the first known sighting of this species in McLean County. I found this bird on September 16, 2014. This is another post I made on Illinois Birder's Forum, but never posted on my own blog until February 1, 2015. When I first found it, I texted several birders, but when I notified them I thought it was a Red-necked Phalarope, which is not quite as big a deal. Carrie drove out to see it, but by the time we suspected it was a Red Phalarope, it was almost dark. My original post follows. I still was not sure of the ID when I posted it.

I found this phalarope at the Gridley Wastewater Treatment Ponds on September 16 at about 6:00 p.m., and I originally assumed it was a Red-necked Phalarope, but the more I watched it in the fading light, the more I began to second guess myself. The bill seemed very thick for Red-necked, and the bill shape seemed to match Red better. Also, I noticed that the very base of the bill appeared to be pale. Furthermore, I noticed that the neck was splotchy red in some of the photos. I wanted to get more opinions before I went with Red.

















Here is a shot of a juvenile Red-necked Phalarope I took a couple of years ago at the same location only a day later. Notice how the bill shape is very different than the bird in question.